I am watching an absolutely astounding series on CBC Newsworld right now. My eyes are bulging at what I'm seeing that I know none of my Kos friends south of the border will ever see, but would love to see broadcast everywhere. I am truly floored.
I'm not sure how you might get access to the video, but the website also has some amazing information. However, watching it is really something. Here is the link for the website:
The Power of Nightmares
It starts with an analysis of Leo Strauss and Sayyed Qutb. It says of Strauss:
At the same time Leo Strauss, an American professor of political philosophy, also came to see western liberalism as corrosive to morality and to society. Like Qutb, Strauss believed that individual freedoms threatened to tear apart the values which held society together. He taught his students that politicians should assert powerful and inspiring myths - like religion or the myth of the nation - that everyone could believe in.
Anyone know who he is and who believes what he professes? Here's a hint:
A group of young students, including Paul Wolfowitz, Francis Fukuyama and William Kristol studied Strauss' ideas and formed a loose group in Washington which became known as the neo-conservatives. They set out to create a myth of America as a unique nation whose destiny was to battle against evil in the world.
As for Sayyed Qutb, Father of Radical Islam, it has this to say:
In the 1950s Sayyed Qutb, an Egyptian civil servant was sent to the U.S. to learn about its public education system. As he traveled around the county, Qutb became increasingly disgusted by what he felt was the selfish and materialistic nature of American life.
When he returned to Egypt, Qutb turned into a revolutionary. Determined to find some way to control the forces of selfish individualism that he saw in America, he envisioned an Arab society where Islam would play a more central role. He became an influential spokesperson in the Muslim Brotherhood but was jailed after some of its members attempted to assassinate Egyptian President Nasser.
In prison a more radical Qutb wrote several books which argued that extreme measures, including deception and even violence, could be justified in an effort to restore shared moral values to society. He was executed in 1966 for treason in Egypt. But his ideas lived on and formed the basis of the radical Islamist movement.
This was originally aired in April of 2005 so some here may have seen or read this, but it is the first I've heard of it and wanted to pass it on for anyone interested.
There is a video of the documentary opening on the site I linked to that lasts 2:48 and will give you a taste. If anyone knows where the entire series can be seen on the web, let me know and I will include the link in the diary.
The introductory paragraph is as follows:
The Power of Nightmares explores how the idea that we are threatened by a hidden and organized terrorist network is an illusion. Director Adam Curtis theorizes that it's a myth that has spread unquestioned through politics, the security services and the international media.
At the heart of his story are two groups: the American neo-conservatives and the radical Islamists.
You won't see this kind of exploratory journalism on American television, that's for sure!
And for any Terry Goodkind fans out there: can you say Imperial Order???
UPDATE: Thanks to the comments, here is a link to download and watch this astounding series:
Internet Archive